


A tear for the girl

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-16
Updated: 2013-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-12 01:36:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/805620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deeks has been away on assignment when he came back a few thing had changed. Who is the girl Kensi is guarding and what is she to Deeks and How will Kensi handle the revelation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A tear for the girl.

It had been three months since Deeks' last undercover operation for LAPD, he had been injured and had taken another three weeks off after that to recuperate. Coming back to NCIS had been a wrench for him.

Nothing had been said his first day back, Kensi had looked up given him a smile and a nod in the direction of the box on his desk with a doughnut inside and a coffee next to it, which he had appreciated. Sam had just looked at him and continued with his paperwork and Callen had actually come over and welcomed him back.

Easing himself into his seat he took out the first of the stack of paperwork he had to go through and opened the first file as Hetty turned up.

"Mr. Deeks, it is nice to see you back, is everything alright?" she asked.

Deeks nodded, "its fine thanks Hetty."

"Good, good…Oh Mr. Deeks, your change of address forms for HR, I'll need those completed and on my desk by the end of the day." She told him.

Deeks nodded and opened another file.

"You've moved?" Callen asked.

"Gotta keep up security, right Sam, take different routes in, move occasionally…can't leave myself open now can I." There was no malice in Deeks' words but there was an underlying sadness.

"That's a good idea Deeks; you can't leave yourself open, even if you are only responsible enough to look after yourself."

Deeks looked at Sam and opened his mouth to say something and thought better of it. "I'll take these forms to Hetty,"

Callen looked at Sam, He was not sure why his partner hadn't taken to Deeks as easily as he had Dom, but he knew soon he would have to ask if it didn't work itself out first.

* * *

As Deeks walked into Hetty's office she offered him a cup of tea, "How did you get on…Is she settled in?"

"Yeah, I've enrolled her in UCLA, she's picked her electives," He chuckled, "She's really smart…God knows where she got her brains from."

Hetty picked up her cup, "And she's accepted your relationship?"

"Yeah, she's still trying to look after herself and I don't want to discourage it too much, but she knows she can trust me and rely on me to be there for her." He sighed he wished his team had that much trust in him.

"Have you told the team?" Hetty asked.

"No, and I won't be," Deeks said resolute.

Hetty nodded understanding even though she didn't like it.

"And her case with LAPD?" Hetty asked.

"She still has to testify against Mendez next month, but after that we should be done, It will be a wrench for her, but if I had known, I would never have let her grow up there. It's a wonder she's as well adjusted as she is."

"That's good to know Mr. Deeks. I would like to contribute to her college fund if I can?" Hetty asked.

Deeks smiled, "We're fine, I have it all in hand."

"Very well if you need anything please let me know, you don't have to do this alone." She said as Deeks stood up.

"That's exactly what I have to do." He said and walked upstairs as the rest of the team gathered in OPS.

* * *

Deeks joined the rest of the team as they filed into the ops room.

"We've had a report of a known arms dealer coming into LA." Nell told them.

"That's new!" Sam joked.

"This is linked with an ongoing LAPD Case," Nell told them, "It's been passed to us because a local Naval Admiral and a lawyer have been killed in a drive by shooting linked to this man and the Reseda Red Gang."

Deeks looked at the face of the man coming into LAX and walked out.

Within moments the team could hear shouting down from Hetty's office,

"YOU TOLD ME HE WAS DEAD!" Deeks yelled at Hetty.

Within Seconds Callen had bounded down the stairs and was stood in between them.

"Calm down Deeks, do you know who he is then?" Callen asked.

They both ignored him as Hetty turned sadly to Deeks, "I didn't know, all the information I had said he died in 1994."

"I swear to God Hetty, If he find us, I'll kill him," The team were taken aback by the anger in Deeks' voice this was totally out of character for him.

"Deeks?" Kensi placed a hand on her arm.

"Get the hell off me!" He snarled he stormed over to his desk and grabbed his gun.

"Mr. Deeks you are to stand down!" Hetty ordered,

"BITE ME!" Deeks retorted, "Call Bates, tell him, You let us down Hetty, If you want me I'll be tracking the son of a bitch down and putting a bullet in his head!"

* * *

The others went to follow him, "Stop," Hetty ordered, "You would all be best served in dealing with this case." She knew she couldn't break Deeks' confidence but she could point the team in the right direction,"

"Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna, talk to Nell for the rest of the details on the case. Ms Blye I have a job for you." She said.

Kensi walked up to Hetty, "I can go and talk to Deeks, but whatever it is about that man that is upsetting him, I don't think he will talk to me."

Hetty sat back at her desk.

"No Ms Blye, I would like you to go to UCLA on protection detail." She brought a file up on her laptop.

"A Miss. Jennifer Brandel she is a junior at UCLA, The man on the video was Gordon John Brandel, her father."

Kensi nodded, "OK Hetty is this why Deeks was so worked up does he know Brandel? I do remember him mentioning that name when he was shot, wasn't he on the list of suspects?"

"Yes he was." She replied.

"Ms Brandel is eighteen years old and is a witness in the trial of Manny Mendez; she was raised in the Reseda Red Gangs compound from a young age, until Mr. Deeks' last assignment when he rescued her."

"Ok I'll go pick her up, Should I take her back to the boat shed?" Kensi asked.

"No, she can go home, but you will need to stay with her," Hetty said.

"Ok" Kensi replied and left to get her.

* * *

Jen picked up the last of her books and headed to the bus stop, she had hoped for a lift but after making a phone call and not getting a reply she had resigned herself to getting the bus home again.

Just as she left the building she was stopped by a woman with a badge.

"Jennifer Brandel?"

Jen nodded "Yeah?"

Kensi smiled "Agent Kensi Blye NCIS, I'm here to take you into protective custody."

"Why?" Jen asked as her cell phone rang. "Hold on." She put her books down, "Hey Hetty? Yeah, she's one of yours…is he hurt?" She asked instantly worried but her face brightened after a moment. "Yeah ok, no problem, When you talk to him, tell him I'm ok and…tell him I love him." She smiled as the call disconnected.

Kensi confused by the call handed the books back, "So you ok to come with me now?"

"Yeah," Jen said she followed Kensi to the car and put her earbuds in. "You have the address?" Jen asked.

Kensi nodded and not more than twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of a small house with a neatly kept front lawn and a little white picket fence.

Walking up to the door Jen turned to Kensi. "You ok with dogs?" she asked.

Kensi smiled "Yeah, my partner has one."

"Cool." Jen opened the door and they walked in.

The house was sparsely but nicely furnished like whoever lived there didn't get a high wage but cared about what they owned.

Jen walked into the kitchen. "You want a coffee?" she asked.

Kensi smiled she was beginning to like this girl.

"Please"

Jen put the pot on and then grabbed a dog bowl.

"MONTY!" she called.

Kensi turned and stood dumbstruck as Deeks' dog walked into the kitchen and proceeded to eat as Jen carried on oblivious to the crushing pain Kensi was feeling.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Callen and Sam walked into Ops for as much detail as they could get on Gordon John Brandel,

"Gordon John Brandel, he is was jailed in 1990 for spousal abuse and child abuse, he served six months of a two year sentence, he's been linked as an arms dealer with the Reseda Red Gang although he hasn't been seen since 1994 when records say he died in a car crash, there were conflicting reports that he survived and works supplying the international drugs trade with weapons since 1994." Nell told them.

"What about his wife and child." Sam asked.

"Those records have been redacted, but from what I can see, the wife died in a drive by shooting whilst Brandel was in prison and the child was put into the witness protection program. Brandel vowed to track the child down and kill him."

"So the kid is a boy?" Callen asked.

"Erm yeah, but he could be anywhere." Nell replied.

Hetty walked into the room.

"Ms. Blye has picked up Miss Brandel and she has been taken home, I have some information on Brandel's whereabouts since 1994, I can tell you that in 1994 he had a relationship with a woman in the Reseda Red gang and that woman was the mother of Jennifer Brandel, she came to light recently as LAPD sent in an undercover team to infiltrate the gang, the undercover officer was injured rescuing Miss Brandel from the gang."

"Who was the officer?" Sam asked.

"Mr. Deeks, which is why he has been off work for a month." Hetty told them.

"Why weren't we told?" Callen asked

"Mr. Deeks requested that this wasn't put on his record he used his vacation days to recover, he insisted." She added.

"Is this why Deeks went crazy at the idea of Brandel being alive?" Callen asked.

"I cannot tell you that, however if you find Mr. Deeks you will probably find Brandel. If you get there in time…, Stop him, Brandel has information we need, do not let Mr. Deeks kill Brandel." Hetty ordered.

"Eric, do you have Deeks' GPS co-ordinates."

"I can do better than that," Eric tapped on the keyboard and Deeks came up on camera.

"Isn't that Eddie the forger?" Sam said looking at a criminal they had seen in the past.

They watched as Deeks handed the man an envelope and took a packet from the shady criminal.

"He's less than a mile away." Eric said.

"Bring Mr. Deeks to the boatshed." Hetty ordered, "By any means necessary."

* * *

The two agents went off and within five minutes they had caught up to the missing agent.

"Deeks?" Callen called.

Deeks turned dropping the package; "Shit!" he said and picked up the contents.

"Go away," Deeks said to them.

"Hetty wants to see you," Sam said trying to help Deeks pick the package up.

"Leave it alone, it's not yours….I will see Hetty, Sam, but I have to go somewhere."

"She's worried that you're going to kill this Brandel guy." Callen said.

Deeks laughed derisively, "Yeah…coz I'd get that lucky!"

"Deeks, man, just come to the boatshed and talk to Hetty." Callen said.

"Fine, I'll take my car and meet you there." Deeks said.

Callen nodded and allowed Deeks to get in his car.

Following him on the highway Sam was stunned as he suddenly looked around.

"G, Where's Deeks…he's supposed to be in front of us?"

Callen looked and was surprised he couldn't be seen. "Hell….Eric we lost Deeks…" He said.

"He's heading to a small house in Compton, North Mayo Ave." Eric told him.

"Ok so it's not a great area what's he doing there."

"Mr. Deeks has a house there. 2156 North Mayo Ave." Hetty told them.

* * *

Deeks' car screeched to a halt and Deeks ran into the house clutching the packet.

"Jen….Jenny, where the hell are you we have to pack!" He yelled.

Jen looked up at Kensi who shook her head; she didn't know what was going on so she hoped that Jen wouldn't say anything just yet.

Jen came out of the kitchen as Deeks threw a bag at her, "Marty? What the hell's going on?"

"He's back." Deeks said grabbing a back and throwing his own clothes into it.

"I'm not running!" Jen said throwing the bag on the floor, "You're a cop…you fix it."

Deeks stopped not realizing that Kensi was listening to every word he was about to say.

"I'm not a cop…not anymore, I mailed Bates my badge, I got us new ID we can call WitSec as soon as we are safe, I can't protect you from him."

Jen put her arms around him, "Marty I trust you, you're not him, you are stronger than him… Hetty will help."

"She lied to us, she told us he was dead, we were finally safe." Deeks said his voice hitching.

Deeks turned as Kensi started to slip out of the kitchen.

"Martin John Brandel…YOU ARE NOT RUNNING." Jen said hands on her hips.

Deeks paled and then turned red, "Don't you ever….EVER call me that name!" he hissed at her.

Jen stepped back at the anger she saw in his eyes.

"Oh God Jen, I'm sorry." Deeks said as Jen collapsed to the floor shaking as a memory started to assail her.

"Deeks what did you do?" Kensi said as she saw the young woman on the floor and Deeks standing over her.

"I….Kenz I didn't…" Deeks looked horrified as he dropped to his knees and put his arms around her, "Kensi, Kitchen drawer, sedatives in Jenny's name, grab one please….Help me!" he looked at her pleading and Kensi grabbed the bottle from the drawer.

Opening it he forced one into her mouth and she swallowed.

"Its ok squirt, I've got you…its Marty, you're safe….Shh!" he said rocking her back and forth.

Jen started to focus sobbing, "Marty…I….I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you think….I know you're not him…." She clung to his shirt and sobbed into his shoulder until she fell asleep.

* * *

Deeks put her on the couch as Callen and Sam pulled up.

"Crap."

He pulled a comforter over Jen as she slept, opening the door for Sam and Callen he moved back.

"WHAT THE?" Sam started,

"Shh! Jen's asleep." Deeks snapped. He walked over to his kitchen and pulled out a beer and opened it. "I'll talk but not in there, out here." He pointed to the backyard.

Deeks grabbed the phone and dialed a number, "They got me I'm still here…I can't help it they are my team, can you clear them and tell Hetty Lange, I have to fill them in."

He waited as a voice talked the other end.

"Yeah Jack, I know, but we knew it would be complicated when I decided to become a cop…Nah, Jen's fine, I kinda threw a dad at her….NO I DIDN'T HIT HER!" Deeks exclaimed indignantly. "Ok…So I can tell them?" Deeks nodded as the others watched and he hung up.

"OK, guys….So I haven't been 100% honest with you." He said handing them each a beer.

"See I knew there was a reason I didn't trust you." Sam snapped at him. "So are you some kind of spy?"

Deeks laughed, "Yeah…I'm a regular James Bond."

The others smiled, "OK so what do you need to tell us."

"Maybe I should introduce myself and tell you my background."

"We know who you are…You're Marty Deeks, lawyer turned cop, two parents, come from modest money 3.8 GPA at school."

"No, I'm not." Deeks said quietly.

Hetty walked in the door behind him. "Ms Blye, Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen allow me to introduce you to Martin John Brandel, Son of the Arms dealer Gordon John Brandel. The lawyer persona was a cover by the witness protection program, he was eleven when he entered and WitSec has been hiding him ever since,"

"But you were a real cop right or was that a lie?" Sam asked.

"Really, a real cop Sam." Deeks told him.

"And the girl….is she your wife?" Kensi asked.

Deeks laughed…. "EW...NO! Jen….Jennifer Brandel is my sister, well my half sister to be exact, she's in protection too, and she was born in 1994 to Raquel Mendez and my father…Gordon Brandel, He mother died in childbirth and her uncle Manny raised her. I found her while I was undercover and brought her home."

"Why not tell us?" Kensi asked; she was relieved he wasn't in a relationship with her but was hurt that something this big had been kept from her.

"I didn't need to as far as I knew Brandel was dead….right?" He said looking at Hetty.

"I didn't know," Hetty said.

"Well now Brandel's back, Manny must have told him I took Jen and that means he knows I'm alive so if there is a terrorist plot Brandel will be here for two things, the weapons and me." Deeks said looking toward the house to make sure Jen was sleeping. "If there is one thing that man wants more than money…it's me….Dead!"

 


	3. Chapter 3

Brandel pulled his rental car up outside the house, checked the gun at his waist and kicked the door in. Pulling his gun he walked up to Manny Mendez and pointed it in his face.

"Where is he?" He snarled.

"Who your cop son, yeah we found out who he was; were you trying to set us up?" Manny said as some of his gang pulled guns on Brandel.

"NO, I want him dead." Brandel snarled. "Where's my girl?"

"Sorry, Johnnie, your boy took your Chica. There was nothing I could do; she's set to testify against me." Manny told Brandel.

Brandel lowered his weapon.

"So, how did you find out my boy was alive?" Brandel asked grabbing a bottle of tequila off the table and sitting in a chair facing Manny."

Manny waved his hands and his guards moved back. Grabbing a bottle of beer he sat and they talked.

"The cop was a friend of Julio…Julio is no longer among the living." Manny laughed.

"And…" Brandel prompted.

"We had no reason not to trust him, we let him into our inner circle, that boy really knows his guns. He met your Chica and they talked I caught them trying to run away together, She was going to be my girl…So I taught him a lesson, She saw him in the hospital and the policia arrested me and told me he was a cop. He said his name was Max Gentry…but I heard him tell your Chica he was her brother." Manny told him.

"If I find your lying…." Brandel threatened.

"I would never lie to you. I am no stupid." Mendez said with a nervous chuckle, he knew just how dangerous this man before him was.

"Do you know where they are now?" Brandel asked.

"He was in an apartment, but then he moved, I have a contact trying to get me his new address…I should have it soon."

"Can you trust this contact?"

"Si, He is a Marshall in the Witness Protection program, He should be calling soon."

Brandel leant back and drank his tequila, he was one step closer and soon he would have the boy.

* * *

As Marty stood and watched the people he had worked with process the information he had just told them he was torn between sitting and waiting hoping they would accept him and wanting to grab the envelope and the bag from under the floorboard in his room, grab his sister and just run.

"So…you've been lying to us?" Sam said.

"I didn't lie to you, I was a cop for the LAPD and I was good at my job, I just had a doctored history that's all…you accept Callen and he doesn't even know his past!" He said shooting Callen a look to apologize. Callen caught it and nodded.

"Tell us." Kensi asked.

Deeks looked in the house to make sure Jen was still asleep then he nodded and took another swig of his beer.

"I was born in Reseda, to a teenage mother, Ally Johnson she married my dad just after I was born. I remember him being away a lot…" Deeks said his voice trailing off.

"You did say once your father was abusive, was that true?" Kensi asked.

"More than I told you. He used my mom in deals with his friends, He wanted me to grow up to work with him, I could strip clean and rebuild a gun at four years old. When he was drunk, he used me as target practice, he loved William Tell, you know the guy who shot an arrow off his son's head? Well he used to do that to me when he was demonstrating his guns." Marty let out a sad smile. "It was the only time he spent time with me and wasn't beating on me."

Kensi moved to sit nearer to him to offer him some support.

"He went abroad for a big sell when I was ten, but he left his phone behind, I found it and found out he had a whole other family, and a huge house, he's rich did you know that?" He gave another small grin, "I have three elder brothers and a stepmother, they all live in the Hamptons in New York…They don't know I exist, I looked them up when I joined the LAPD."

"Didn't they know something when you shot him?" Kensi said remembering the story Deeks had told her about thanksgiving.

"Er….yeah…." Deeks said.

"You did accidently shoot your father didn't you?" Sam said having remembered the same story.

"No."

"You didn't shoot him?" Even Hetty sounded surprised.

"No, I shot him…it just wasn't an accident, Er…I can shoot better than Callen, Sorry Callen, I'm not saying this to sound boastful but maybe one day I'll show you, I have been able to shoot since I was four. The only reason that he didn't die was he was my dad and I loved him."

* * *

"So what happened?" Hetty asked, she was frustrated that she hadn't been given this information.

"I got home from school one day…he had lost a sale and been drinking. Mom….let's just say he wasn't nice to her and I found them, well I found her he had beaten her to a pulp and he was in the same room having sex with one of the Reseda Red gang's women. I got mad when I saw mom and I screamed at him to help her and he laughed and told me to go get me a woman and man up or stay a boy and he'd find me a nice man." Deeks looked away with tears in his eyes, "I couldn't kill him…I wasn't a killer so I shot him a through and through in the shoulder."

"OMG!" Kensi breathed she put a hand on his arm and he flinched.

"I ran to the kitchen and called 911; he got mad and beat me up. Mom had come to and tried to get me out of the house she was carrying me to the car to take me to the hospital and he called the gang and they drove up and sh…..shot her in the head" He was openly crying now and he didn't care. "I lay in her arms until the police came; Dad had got in the car with the gang and his weapons I never saw him again….I just lay waiting ….covered in my mom's brains until the cops pulled me off her and took her away, three days later I was put in the Witness Protection program and lived with a Federal Marshal, Jeff Deeks as his son." He said his voice had become flat and devoid of emotion.

The others looked at him, even Callen with the horrors he had lived through was glad he had been distracted by the hit man who had murdered his mother and her actual death hadn't been witnessed by him.

Hetty walked out and handed Deeks a cup of tea, in the midst of his flashback he took it without even acknowledging the drink.

"I gave the Marshals all the detail that they needed to cut off my father's supply line to Africa, He lost all his money and his other wife divorced him…he lost everything and apparently started again. He put the word out that he wanted me dead. The Federal Marshals wanted to move me across the country….It was a huge fight to stay here. But I never lived more than ten miles from where she died. I won't leave her." He looked up and realized they were watching him.

He looked up at the team, worried as to what their reaction would be,

* * *

"MARTIN!" Jen's voice screamed from inside the house. Deeks jumped up and bolted into the living room to find his sister in the midst of a nightmare sat bolt upright and shaking on the sofa.

Deeks instantly comforted his sister, "I got ya Jenny, it's ok, you're safe now."

Jen sobbed holding him tight, "I dreamt it again…but he….he…."

"You're safe, Manny isn't here, neither is dad." Marty hugged her until she calmed down again.

"God Marty, I hate these nightmares," Jen said wiping her eyes on her brother's sleeve. She got up and headed to the kitchen.

"Jen?" he asked

"Coffee!" She said and he grinned,

"Ok espresso, you can have one but you have to eat too!" he laughed as he walked out into the garden.

"Espresso?" Callen asked.

"The kid mainlines coffee, it just stuck." Deeks smiled obviously proud of his sister.

The others were shocked at the change in Deeks' demeanor, "What I have a family now," He lowered his voice, "She doesn't know about my mom and my past and she doesn't need to know, it was hard enough for her growing up in the gang without her own mother. Manny is her uncle and he's a sick bastard and when I heard what he was planning….she wasn't staying there…we're family. I got hold of WitSec and got her in the program with me, we signed her up to UCLA and she just started classes and is turning her life around."

Deeks turned and looked into the kitchen where Jen was rooting through the cupboards.

"So, Jell-O….Seeing as we aren't running away today, are all your friends staying for dinner?" she called.

Marty turned to them, "I'd say yes she's a great cook." He grinned.

"Jell-O?" Kensi grinned, "You both have food nicknames?"

"What…? I was in hospital after we got away, she kept nicking my Jell-O and I kept complaining so she called me it."

"I have to get back to Michelle." Sam said

Deeks nodded fully understanding. "Fern….Hetty…Callen?" he asked.

"Sure." They replied.

Sam left and drove off down the street.

A man sitting in a dark colored saloon car picked up his phone and made a call.

"I think I've found them." He said and shut off the phone.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The man put his cell phone back in his pocket and took out a digital recorder.

"The son entered the house approximately an hour ago, his sister and an unknown woman had been in the house for an hour before that. An old lady, an African American and a Caucasian male entered after the male Brandel. They stayed for over an hour when the large African American man left the building. I have yet to ascertain who these people are and what steps will be needed to rescue the Brandel girl from her brother." Pete Sterling looked at his notepad He hated kidnapping cases but this one was clawing at his gut. He had received a message a month ago that a man had kidnapped his sister from her husband and was keeping her against her will. He'd been given the name of her brother Martin John Brandel and all he knew was he had a job in the city although all efforts to find him electronically had failed. He had watched Jennifer Brandel being taken to UCLA and brought back by her brother and he didn't seem to like her being alone anywhere.

Manny Mendez had seemed like a nice man when Pete had met him in a coffee shop downtown and had told him how they were newly married and her brother had not liked the fact he was Hispanic even though his sister was half Hispanic as well. He had said that Manny's job as a garage mechanic wasn't good enough to keep his sister as a wife.

Pete balked at that he hated racism in any form and instantly felt for the guy who even though he was obviously a tough man shed a few tears when telling him how much he missed his wife.

All Pete needed was an opening to rescue the poor woman from this controlling brother and reunite her with her family and the two young children Mendez told her they had.

* * *

Jen finished washing up with Kensi helping her, they had all enjoyed her cooking, Marty had relaxed and they two agents and his boss could see how relaxed he was with Jen in his life.

After dinner Jen made Hetty a pot of tea and they sat outside as Kensi, Deeks and Callen stayed inside.

"So, Miss Brandel, how are you finding life with your brother?" She asked,

"It was a surprise to find out I wasn't an orphan and that I had family," Jen admitted, She had grown up with the gang and had been told her family were dead.

"How did you meet your brother?" Hetty asked wanting Jen's take on the story.

"I grew up in the gang, I don't remember being anywhere else, my mom died when I was younger and Manny took care of me."

"How old were you when your mother died?" Hetty asked.

"I was twelve, Manny was…well creepy, but he is the leader and he takes care of all of us. But I didn't like him much." Jen admitted, "He made me go to school and made sure I was clean and fed, sure, but he wanted me to marry him and I wanted to go to university. Then I met Marty, he told me his name was Andy Eastman and he was a friend of Julio's…." Jen smiled, "Julio and I grew up together, he's a great kid, anyway Andy found out my name and got a bit weird he said that his real name was Martin he asked me a lot of questions about my parents and then told me he was my brother and I didn't have to stay there anymore, he showed me his badge, he told me he was a cop and he helped me leave…Manny caught him though as we were leaving, Marty made me go I took the car and came here after losing the men Manny sent after me…I checked the hospitals for a week until Marty turned up, they had left him outside the hospital in the parking lot. He told me about the Witness protection program, but I've only been in a few days, I haven't got my new ID yet."

"Mr. Deeks thinks a lot of you Miss Brandel," Hetty said,

Jennifer smiled, "He thinks a lot about you guys too, and apparently you are the family he never had. He loved his job." She said sadly thinking about how much he was going to miss it.

"Loved?" Hetty said instantly concerned.

"Brandel…Dad is in town, Marty mailed his badge back to his boss, Bates, he's quit the LAPD, I don't want to run again." Jen said and then looked Hetty in the eye, "I know the LAPD didn't have his back during the undercover mission where he found me, I was at the hospital with him for two months while he healed, not once did anyone from LAPD come and see if he was ok. He told me your work was important and that you guys couldn't leave to see him in hospital. I know you all work with National Security type stuff and he was ok with that but Hetty, even when Manny was beating him and while he was in hospital in all that pain…..I have never seen him show as much fear as he is with the thought of our father finding us…Can…can you help him…please?" Jen asked.

Hetty smiled and put her hand over the younger woman's "Miss Brandel, I will leave Ms Blye and Mr. Callen here on protection detail, although it is true, as of now Mr. Deeks does not have a job in NCIS as his job was LAPD liaison, However if we can convince him to take up a more permanent post of federal agent then maybe he could be persuaded to stay."

"He's scared Hetty, He's trying to keep things normal for me, but I can tell, even though I've only known him for a short while, He's scared that he's going to have to face our father…and he's scared that your team don't trust him…especially that guy who left….Sam was it?" she asked.

Hetty nodded, for some time now she had noticed a tension between Mr. Hanna and Mr. Deeks, Some was explainable since she had found out about Jennifer as Hetty had been one of the few people to visit Deeks in the hospital. But there was something else. Something Sam was holding in and she hoped she could deal with it and managed to persuade Deeks to become a permanent member of the team.

* * *

She got up and with Jen following walked into the small house.

"Mr. Deeks…" she said Marty looked up. "Ms. Blye and Mr. Callen are on protection detail as of now, and you will sign the forms to become a permanent member of NCIS." She said.

"I don't need protection….we'll be fine…I'm not a cop anymore, I don't work for you!" He protested.

"You quit?" Kensi said shocked.

"I….yeah." Marty said not looking at either of his co-workers. "I have to…it's only a matter of time before he finds us."

"We've got your back Deeks, you aren't alone in this." Callen told him, "And Deeks?"

"Yeah?"

"Sign the damn forms." Callen grinned.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Jen and Deeks flanked by Sam and Kensi arrived at the mission.

Sam looked up and gave a slight smile.

Jen glared at him, and moved to stand beside her brother.

"Mr. Deeks, Miss Brandel…My office if you please." Hetty said. They walked off to Hetty's office and Callen walked up to Sam,

"We need to talk." He said and walked off in the direction of the gym.

"OK so what's this about?" Sam asked.

"Deeks is joining NCIS." Callen told him.

"Really?" Sam replied.

"look I've noticed you've been riding him pretty hard since he started, I calmed down for a while and got worse again after he was shot but you don't seem to trust him like you do the rest of us…Is this going to be a problem him being a full time member of my team?" Callen asked.

"Yes." Sam snapped. "He doesn't take the job seriously, He's always joking around. I don't trust him to watch my back, especially if there is a pretty girl in the vicinity to distract him, he doesn't focus."

"Sam!" Callen exclaimed, some of what Sam said was undoubtedly true, but to say he didn't take the job seriously… "Deeks is the most committed cop I've ever seen and I would trust him with my life."

"You trust him?" Sam was taken aback, Callen didn't trust…ever.

"Yeah, you didn't see him last night, after Hetty left he locked up, made sure Jen was settled and I don't think he slept all I could hear from his room was him moving about, He gave up his job at LAPD for her…his only focus is that she makes it out alive."

Sam stared at his partner. "But he's lied to us…for years!"

"Sam! He's in the witness protection program, it's need to know…we didn't, would you think he'd call you a liar because you haven't told him about the classified missions you went on as a seal?"

"That's different!" Sam countered.

"Yeah..." Callen was really mad and walked a few steps away from Sam, "Well it's the best I can come up with...Am I a liar because you never knew I was Romanian or that I came from a family with a gypsy blood feud!"

"You didn't know." Sam said softly trying to placate his friend.

"I did…somewhere in this jumbled up mess of my head I knew…" Callen replied.

"I…" Sam didn't know what to say.

"Deeks is now a member of this team Sam, so whatever crawled up your butt….get over it! For the team, when this is over take him out get to know him, the real him…Make an effort Sam." Callen growled and stalked off.

Sam sat on a bench. He hated it, he hated the face Callen was right, he had fallen for the false personality that Deeks showed he needed to know how much of that was really Deeks/Brandel or whoever he was. But that right now didn't matter, what he was right now was a teammate and he needed him to stick by him and by God that was exactly what Sam was going to do.

* * *

Deeks and Jen walked into Hetty's office and Deeks put an envelope on Hetty's desk.

"Is it signed Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"No." Deeks replied.

Jen and Hetty both looked at Deeks in shock.

"I can't…I want this so bad, but I can't sign if I'm gonna lose it again." Deeks said his sadness and tiredness evident.

Hetty handed the siblings each a cup of tea and motioned them to sit down.

"Before you gave me these papers, did you tell Director Vance, who I really am?" Deeks asked.

"You are who you were when I offered them to you." Hetty stated.

"No I'm not, I'm the son of an Arms dealer, I'm in the Witness protection program, and I only joined the police force because I thought it was safe. Then when you said he was dead, I thought about your offer to join NCIS, but I didn't want to tell you about the WitSec program, I knew I would have to if I joined up." Deeks said.

"Will you consider it if I tell you I have talked to Director Vance about it, I did last night, Vance agrees with me, with your track record you will be an asset to the team, we will have your back and will do everything we can to help. However there is a catch, your father has valuable information on terrorist organizations and we need that information, you would need to help us bring him in." Hetty said.

"I want him dead…" Deeks said softly, "But I understand how important his information is…so…I'm in."

"Wait…WHAT!" Jen stood up and stared at her brother, "ARE YOU BOTH MAD!" She yelled.

The building fell silent, no one had yelled at Hetty….ever!

"Jen!" Deeks said shocked,

"Martin, I know how much you love this job and these people…but she's talking about let HIM live. He'll kill you without even thinking about it." She said shaking.

"If he lives and we get him, it could collapse his terrorist contacts and destroy them, saving thousands of lives in the process." Deeks said trying to placate his sister not registering the fact that he had followed her and was now having this conversation in the bullpen.

"I don't care about them, I care about you…you're all I have." Jen sobbed.

"This is my job, it's why I became a cop…Their lives are not worth more than mine, I have to do this….Brandel or Deeks Jen, It's who I am."

Sam sat there stunned, this was a side of Deeks he had never seen, the man with his soul bared affirming that the only reason he did the job was to save others and make the world safer.

"It's what we all do Jen, we'll keep him safe." Callen said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Will you help too?" Hetty asked.

"Me...I'm just a kid, what can I do?" Jen asked

"Manny Mendez, You know how the gang works and you have seen Brandel before, basically the information you are planning on testifying with, give it to us first."

"I'll have to talk to my handler; he'll have to come here." Jen said.

Hetty nodded in agreement. "Call him, Miss Brandel."

Deeks showed her his desk and she used his phone.

Jen picked the phone up and dialed, "Jack…It's Jenny, I'm ok, I'm with Marty at his work, no not at LAPD, he works for NC…" She looked up,

NCIS Deeks mouthed and Jen repeated it to Jack, she gave him the address and then put the phone down.

"He's coming," She smiled.

Jack replaced the receiver and smiled; he walked out of the building and got in his car.

"Mendez, It's Jack, I know where the Brandel kids are." He said and told his other boss the address.

* * *

In Reseda Manny got up and nudged the sleeping form of Brandel on his couch, within seconds Brandel had a gun pointing in Manny's face.

"Hey Johnnie, I found your boy and the Chica." He grinned.

"I think it may be time to go see my kids," Brandel smiled evilly and headed to the shower.

* * *

Deeks walked back to Hetty's office and signed the form on her desk.

"About time." Callen grinned leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey I need the wages," Deeks quipped. "You've seen my place."

"It has more stuff than my place," Callen replied smiling.

Deeks grinned, "What can I say; my sister has a lot of stuff."

"You should be lucky Kensi isn't living with you." Callen laughed,

"The house isn't big enough!" Deeks said with pretend panic and they laughed as they walked to the bullpen.

Sam stood up and held out his hand as Deeks walked in, "Welcome to the team Agent Deeks." He said and went to shake his hand.

Deeks took it warily but shook it anyway.

"You did it?" Kensi asked

"Yep, a fully fledged federal agent." Deeks said sinking into his chair. Jen came up behind him and gave him a hug,

"I'm sorry Jell-O, I am proud of you." She smiled and he turned in the chair and hugged her back.

"Thanks kid."

Eric whistled from the balcony and called down, "Guy's you and Miss Brandel are requested to attend OPS immediately." he gave a slight bow and walked off.

"He for real?" Jen asked,

Deeks nodded as real as they get.

Jen smiled, "Cute too!" she remarked as she walked off. Deeks shot Kensi a panicked look and ran off after her

"HEY!" he yelled and she giggled and beat him up the stairs.

Callen turned to Sam, "Siblings huh…was your house like that?" he asked.

"Worse," Sam admitted and followed the siblings up the stairs.

* * *

Eric turned as the group entered. He smiled at Jen and picked up his tablet.

"So we now know that the guy we are looking for is Gordon John Brandel." He said as Deeks put his hands on Jen's shoulders to comfort her.

"He's been spotted a few minutes ago leaving Reseda. We don't know exactly who he's meeting but we have eyes on him."Eric told them.

"OK so why are we up here, We've received some Intel that there is a leak in the WitSec program and some people have been killed, you and Miss Brandel are on the list of people who may have been compromised, a Federal Marshal has just been arrested," Eric pulled up a photo and both Deeks and Jen stared at the picture.

"Jack!" they both said.

"Marty…I just told him where we were!" Jen started to panic.

"Hey, come on we don't know that he called him," Deeks said pulling his sister into a hug and turning to Eric. "Did he call Brandel?"

"No, his number hasn't come up at all." Eric said.

Deeks breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll call you again when we have more information." Eric said.

"Mr. Deeks, you need to reclassify on your weapons score." Hetty reminded him. "And Mr. Deeks no holding back please I'd like a real score."

Deeks shrugged, and sent Jen to the bullpen as he and Callen and Sam walked to the range.

He took his Smith and Wesson 5944 out of its holster stripped, checked and rebuilt it with the others watching in less than a minute. He reached over and put a target up and sent it out to the 200m mark.

Sam grinned there was no way he'd get a good score at that mark, Even Callen who had the best score apart from Hetty had only gotten his high score by luck.

Deeks took his stance aimed and fired six shots in quick succession. He pressed the button for the target to return and reloaded his gun ripped the target off and handed it to Callen.

"There!" He snapped.

"Deeks, what's wrong?" Kensi asked as Callen looked at the target.

"My WitSec handler has put me and Jen in danger, My…Brandel is out to kill me and I have to spend time reclassifying," He turned to leave.

"Deeks, you have to do it three times for a high score." Sam said.

"That'll do can't get higher than that." Deeks said off handedly and walked out.

Sam looked at Callen who held the target up. "Its, better than Hetty's" he said stunned.

Kensi went to catch up with him.

"Your scores….there….?" She started,

Deeks shrugged, "Son of an Arms Dealer…Been shooting since I was four…" he said

"But your scores before?" she asked.

"Look, I don't like to use what I learned from that son of a bitch, I definitely don't like to brag about it, so an average score stops that. Hetty asked for my best, she got it." He walked off leaving the three agents looking after him.

"Wow…a focused Deeks is scary." Kensi said.

* * *

Callen looked at Sam, "Let's go," he said and they followed Deeks back to the bullpen almost slamming into him as he ground to a halt.

"Deeks?" Kensi said.

They followed his line of sight as Brandel and a gang of masked Reseda Red gang members walked into the mission with guns drawn.

Hetty walked right up to them "Mr. Brandel I assume." She said without a hint of fear.

Brandel looked at the small woman and sneered.

"All I want is my boy; you can keep the girl, as she's of no use to me. MARTIN!" he yelled.

Unable to stop himself Deeks started to shake.

Jen ran to Brandel, "You can't have him," she looked wildly around for anyone to stop him.

Brandel caught his daughter up in a neck hold and pointed his gun at her head.

"BOY!" Brandel yelled his patience thinning.

Shaking Deeks couldn't stop himself he pulled his arm out of Kensi's grip and rounded the corner the rest of the way, "Don't, not here." He whispered to her as she started to pull her gun.

He looked back at his teammates as he started to walk. "Protect Jen, tell Hetty I'm sorry." He said and walked the rest of the way.

"I'm here." Deeks said his voice shaking a little as he walked towards his father with his arms up in a gesture of supplication.

Brandel grinned in such a way Hetty shivered.

"You gonna shoot me dad?" Deeks asked sadly.

Brandel laughed, "you think I'd let you off that easy." He snarled and motioned for one of his men to tie Deeks' hands behind his back.

The gang members filed out with Deeks in their midst.

Jen tried to run after them as Callen caught her around the waist.

"MARTY!" She screamed struggling to get out of his grip.

 


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Jen stopped struggling Callen let her go.

"What the hell happened, how did Brandel make it in here?" Callen said stunned.

There was silence and suddenly a quiet knocking could be heard coming from ops.

Kensi, Sam and Callen ran up the stairs followed by Jen and Hetty.

Kensi made it to the room first and discovered the doors were locked.

"ERIC! NELL!" She called knocking.

"WE'RE IN HERE; THERE WAS A VIRUS AND A FIREWALL ATTACK THE OPS IS ON LOCKDOWN WE CAN'T GET OUT!" Nell yelled.

* * *

Inside OPS it was stifling, Just before the attack on the mission Eric had noticed multiple Trojan attacks on the NCIS firewalls, a virus had been introduced and the wonder twins had been trying to fend off the cyber attack that they missed a small virus that made its way through, Even though Eric had tried to go dark the virus prevented it, he had managed to take the system offline so no information was being leaked from the mainframe, but the air conditioning was now off and the computers were still running at twice the speed and worse the room was in lockdown, the blinds were shut and the doors deadlocked, the room was practically soundproof and Eric and Nell were trapped and suffocating in the heat.

Callen tried the door and Sam tried kicking the door down, "That won't help Mr. Hanna," Hetty informed them, "the place is virtually impregnable. It is designed to withstand a nuclear attack."

"But with no air conditioning?"

"It will be somewhat uncomfortable; I have sent for some cutting gear, we should be in within the hour." Hetty said.

"What about Martin?" Jen asked.

Kensi turned to Hetty, "Without Eric and Nell, we're blind. We won't be able to track him." She said her face distraught.

"It is true we will be a bit behind, But I am confident that we will find Mr. Deeks." Hetty said her voice calm despite the turmoil she herself was feeling.

Sam started kicking at one of the panels again, "Mr. Hanna?" Hetty admonished.

"Wait!" Sam said as one of the panels came loose. He walked away and returned with four bottles of water and passed them through the hole.

"Thanks Sam," Eric said

* * *

He and Nell were as close to the hole as they could get relishing in the cool air coming through that gap. "Is everyone ok out there?" Nell asked.

"No." Jen snapped, "Martin was kidnapped by Brandel."

Inside the room Nell looked at Eric in shock, "Hetty, we had a massive cyber attack here, multiple Trojans and a virus that has locked us in, the system is offline but we can't shut the computers down they are running at double speed and there is no air con, it has to be linked there is no way this was a random Hack," Nell said.

"Wow, we're frelting in here!" Eric said.

"It will be about an hour before your out." Hetty told the analysts.

"It's ok, Can you contact D.C. Their MTAC may be able to find Deeks and give you some clues, we're going to be blind in here for a while, do you have phones?" Eric asked.

"Cell service only." Callen replied,

"I'll make the call." Hetty said

"Jen, Can you stay with them, We'll go with Hetty and head out after Deeks as soon as we get something from MTAC, but Nell and Eric may need you to get them stuff while they are stuck in here," Callen asked her.

Jen nodded, "Bring my brother back safe." She said to him. He gave her a small hug and went to Hetty's office.

"No….Leon, we are not compromised, our technicians managed to thwart the attack, but they are currently locked in OPS with their equipment…I think Mr. Beale's technical term was 'frelted'. However in the meantime we have a missing agent and we need your resources to find him." She said.

She waited as Leon called to someone in MTAC within moments she was talking to another Agent.

"Agent McGee… Director Vance said you are the most qualified to help us with our problem." Hetty outlined what had happened and was pleased to hear the Agent already had started a search in the background.

Speaker? Callen mouthed to Hetty who pressed a button on her phone and placed it on her desk.

"Agent McGee you are now on speakerphone." Hetty informed him.

She was pleased to hear him continue typing as he didn't miss a beat and said hi.

"Hey Tim," Callen said "Do you have anything?" he asked.

"Callen Hi, I'm running two programs at the moment, the first one is to determine the source of the cyber attack it could give us an IP address to traced the perpetrators which may give you an address for where Deeks is, the other is a local search of traffic camera's and security camera's to see if we can find him. So far I have a blacked out SUV outside the mission, but after four camera's it completely disappears." Tim said.

He spent ages looking and left Callen with a promise to call as soon as he found anything.

* * *

Callen walked back upstairs where the technicians had arrived to weld the doors open and free the two trapped analysts.

"They ok?" Callen asked Jen,

"Yeah, although I think they will both need a shower before we let them loose on the world." Jen replied.

Callen gently maneuvered Jen into a side room, "We need to talk…it may help Deeks." He said.

Jen nodded and sat down.

"Your story, there were a few inconsistencies, I need some facts, it may help." He said again.

"What?" Jen asked.

"When you first met Deeks, he went in as Max Gentry, but you told me he was known as Andy Eastman?" he said.

"Julio told me his name was Gentry, but that he was on the run, so he had changed it to Eastman, it wasn't until Manny Mendez beat me that he told me who he really was." Jen started breathing rapidly as a flashback assaulted her. Before she was overwhelmed she panted "Pills…Bag." And then she was gone lost in a memory.

She had been beaten for days and was curled in a corner in her room as Julio had knocked.

"Jenny, Chica? You ok, I have a friend with me?" Julio called opening the door slowly.

"No….please….no more!" Jen whimpered.

Marty had dropped the bag he had been holding, "Are you ok?" he asked as he dropped by her side. "What's her name?" he asked Julio.

"Her name is Jen." Julio said she's my best friend.

"Jen…I'm Andy can you tell me what hurts?" he asked

Julio looked at Deeks, "Max is she going to be ok?"

"J I told you, it's important you don't call me Max anymore, the police are after me, you have to call me Andy." Deeks said as he looked Jen over.

Julio looked abashed, "I'm sorry Andy, how is she?"

"She needs a hospital; I think she has a cracked rib." Deeks said looking over the smaller girl who opened her eyes a bit and looked at her rescuer.

"No….My dad will find me. If you take me to the hospital, I'll be in trouble for upsetting Manny," She coughed painfully.

Deeks looked in his bag and grabbed a first aid kit and bandaged her up as best he could. "Does Manny do this a lot?" he asked concerned,

Jen gave a small nod, "He wants me to sleep with him and I don't want to…he's like my uncle, his sister took me on after my mother died in childbirth and she raised me…she died when I was twelve, he kept me as my father supplies him with weapons…but since I turned seventeen he's been trying to sleep with me, I keep fighting him off and this is the result." She took the painkillers Deeks offered and swallowed them,

"I can help," Deeks said "I'm a cop."

Jen and Julio backed off at that.

"Please I only want to help you." Deeks said.

"Manny will be back soon, can you get me out of here before he gets back, and I can give you information on him." Jen said realizing this was her chance. "And on my father he's an arms dealer….Gordon John Brandel I haven't seen him for years." She said.

It was Deeks' turn to look shocked. "Brandel?"

Jen pulled a picture of a small baby being held in the uncomfortable arms of a grinning man. "That's him."

Deeks' hand shook as he looked at the picture, "Dad." He breathed,

"Please we have to go, Manny will be back soon!" Jen said hoisting herself to a standing position and shakily walking to the door.

Another door slammed and a drunken voice cried out, "Chica…I'm coming for you Chica."

"Julio hide," Deeks said and pushed him in a closet.

Deeks stood in the doorway between Mendez and Jen, "Eastman, you been trying to take advantage of my Chica?" Manny grinned.

"No, she's coming with me…" Deeks said and pulled her behind him.

Manny's grin faltered, "She is mine, and I raised her she owes me,"

"Get your hands off her!" Deeks yelled.

"She stays with me," Manny pointed a gun at Deeks.

"Please Andy, Don't I'm not worth your life." Jen said sadly.

"Shh," Deeks said and moved again, "Let us go Mendez." He growled.

"She is my property you cannot have her Eastman, any other of my girls but not this one, now come one friend….be reasonable."

"She is not property she's a person."

"She's not worth anything, let the Chica stay with me, you have become valuable to be over the last few weeks Eastman, I would hate to see that trust broken, she is nothing to you."

"She's my sister and she's coming with me." Deeks said.

Manny grabbed him and pulled out a gun, the two men fought with the gun for a few agonizingly slow moments until the gun went off. Deeks started to fall to the floor knowing Manny would pick up the gun and finish him off. His last thought was of Kensi and how pissed she would be that he had gone undercover without telling her. Then as his world grayed out he heard a thwack.

Jen stood shaking as Deeks lay semi-conscious on the floor and Julio came out of the closet to see his friend and his boss both passed out on the floor.

"He's my brother?" Jen said in shock.

"Jen, he needs a hospital, I don't know how long Manny will be out for but if you're going to go and save your…your brother, you need to go now, Eastman…or whoever was a nice guy, and you're my friend so I'll drive you as far as a safe ER. Ok?"

Jen nodded dumbly as Julio passed her Deeks' bag and he manhandled the injured body of his friend into the car.

"Jen!" A voice cut through her memories and she started to shake again.

"Marty! Marty! Don't die!" she cried, she felt a glass in her hand and someone put two pills in her mouth, a arm circled her shoulder and she pulled away. "Marty! Save me!" she sobbed.

Callen held the sobbing teenager until she slowly snapped out of her flashback.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Deeks was bundled into an SUV, his mouth gagged and a bag put over his head and his hands tied behind his back. He had no idea where he was going and his mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour.

Jen said she hadn't seen their father in years, but he had recognized her as she ran out, why had he not taken her too? He was glad she hadn't been taken but he did hope that she hadn't been hurt; he didn't think he could live with himself if anyone had been hurt because of his actions.

He was a federal agent now, he had signed the forms, LAPD was in his past and Hetty had thought he was good enough to join the team on a permanent basis so he must be worth something, but despite that he was shaking, he was terrified at the thought of having to face his father again after all these years. He was scared of his anger at his father, because he had left him in his dead mother's arms lying on that front lawn of his old house in Reseda he brain matter splattered all over his eleven year old face. He was scared he would lash out and hurt his father or worse turn into the monster his father had become. He was angry at himself because as scared as he was he felt the small child inside himself jump with excitement because maybe his father had changed and wanted him, maybe he would be proud of his son. He quickly dismissed that thought but inside himself the small boy that was hidden was challenging him you want him to love you….and you can't kill him because he's your father and deep down you love him.

He was at that moment really glad he was wearing a hood and no one could see him cry.

'You are a Deeks and Jeff Deeks is the man you think of as your father, he is proud of you, not this monster….you are NOT a Brandel, you can stand up to him and YOU can bring him to justice.' He scolded himself.

Inside his head he could see the four year old holding a freshly cleaned gun in his tiny outstretched hands smiling at his father as his father patted his son on the head and told the other men in the room how proud he was of the boy.

* * *

"See Daddy I did it all by myself." Four year old Martin Brandel said proudly.

Gordon patted his son on the head, "You did good son, so you can go see your mother."

Smiling Martin walked along the corridor with the loaded gun in his hand and handed it to the man standing outside his mother's room; she hadn't been well, his father said as she only came out of her room when one of his father friends helped him. The man opened the door and a young woman sat tired and slightly spaced out in the middle of a big bed.

"Marty baby!" she smiled her eyes not entirely focusing on her son, Marty ran to the bed and climbed up and into his mother's lap.

"Momma, I did good for Daddy today." Marty smiled hugging his mother.

Ally Johnson carefully brushed her son's wavy blond hair behind his ear and kissed the large bruise that was covering his cheek where his father had beaten him a few days ago. Her blue eyes locking on her son's identical ones, she dropped a small kiss on his head and held him as he snuggled into her arms.

"That's my good boy." She smiled, she lay back on the headboard of her bed and grabbed the book of stories she had been reading to her son, his favorite was Thomas the Tank Engine and she read him the same stories over and over again, he lay happy in his mothers' arms for hours until the sun started to go down and the door opened.

"NO!" Ally said holding Marty tight.

"It's time for you to earn your keep, now you want the boy to watch?" the man at the door said.

Tears flowing freely she gently lifted her sleeping son off the bed, "Momma?" his sleepy voice called.

"It's ok baby, I'll see you again soon?" she said her voice shaking.

"OK, Momma, get well I love you." Little Marty said and fell asleep.

Deeks jolted back to consciousness as the SUV gave a large jolt and drove at an unnatural angle. The pitch of sound inside the SUV changed and Deeks realized they had just driven into the back of a lorry.

If Eric had been tracking him, his job had just gotten a whole lot harder.

Deeks realized he could smell the alcohol on his father's breath and Brandel leaned into his son's face. "Don't worry we had friends launch a cyber attack on your building, by the time that team of yours can function, you'll be long gone, they will never find you and your ass is mine, here is a little something I owe you to be going on with.

Deeks felt something circular press into his shoulder and heard a loud pop, followed by the blinding sensation of pain as he realized he had just been shot in the shoulder.

Brandel leant close to his son's ear again, "Don't work Martin, by the time I've finished with you, that won't hurt at all…it'll just seem like an itch." He gave a cold laugh as he moved away and Deeks shivered.

Listening to the truck engine and the feeling of blood dripping down his arm, Deeks finally lost consciousness.

* * *

He was rudely awakened by ice cold water being thrown over him and found himself hanging, naked to the waist, by his arms from a chain hanging from the ceiling of what appeared to be a steel container, the hood had been removed and he could see a little as shafts of sunlight criss-crossed his body like laser lines from rifle. He was hot as well so wherever he was there was little or no shade on the container and the sun was making it mercilessly hot inside there.

"Wake up boy!" Brandel snarled.

Deeks groggily lifted his head. "Where….?" He tried to ask but his words were slurred.

"You my son are in Hell and are about to pay for your crimes." Brandel poked him with a cattle prod.

Deeks' eyes shot open and he screamed as the pain shot through him.

Brandel laughed. "You can scream as much as you like, no one will hear you here."

"…Kill…..me?" Deeks asked.

Brandel leant against the wall of the container and slowly took a drink from a bottle of water that had Deeks licking his lips.

"Not yet boy, you tried to have me put in Jail, you testified at my trial, it was only luck your uncle David stood in for me, he went to prison and did my time so I could work, then he gets out and dies….that's on you boy… you killed my twin brother….so maybe I'll find that daughter of mine and break her while you watch, I'm not sure if we will be even but….."

"NO!" Deeks struggled against his chains.

"You know you can't beat me boy, your mother tried that….Sweet lil Ally Johnson, her parents never did find her till after you were taken away, I took her as a kid, she was fourteen when you were born and then I killed her when she tried to escape on your eleventh birthday…you're all maggots to me boy, I don't care." Brandel laughed seeing his son's pain, he'd never checked his mother's side of the family, to find out she was a kidnap victim and he'd had family out there….Deeks' sorrow showed on his face and Brandel was loving it.

"Her parents found out about you boy, they didn't want you, the bastard son of my raping her, you are trash to them boy and to me….." Brandel just grinned and shrugged something to pass the time, that's all, at least your sister will be useful and I loved her mother." He sneered.

Deeks hung there unable to stop the tears coursing down his face and not caring a bit.

* * *

At the mission Eric whistled, "We're back online and McGee's in MTAC he wants you, Callen."

Callen nodded and climbed the stairs two at a time,

"Tim!" Callen said as he entered the now fully functioning OPS room,

"I think I may have a lead," Tim said and ran some footage for them, "The SUV went under a bridge and didn't come out, but a few hours later this truck did, we followed it to a small parcel of land in Reseda, corner of Archwood and Kittridge street." He said. "Also Callen, I found Deeks' WitSec file, I don't know if you know, but his mother….Ally Johnson was kidnapped by Brandel when she was twelve and was fourteen when she gave birth to Deeks…" Tim stopped to let the allegation hang in the air.

"God!" Callen said running his hand down his face, "Does he know?" he asked.

"I don't think so, it was in the coroners file attached to his file, they informed her parents about her son, they refused to see him, they called him a bastard child and pretty much didn't want anyone with their child's rapists DNA sharing their house." Tim said blushing over his use of the language.

Callen sighed "Can you send this information to Hetty on a secure file; I don't want anyone else seeing it."

Tim nodded "Sure no problem…." Tim stopped as a voice came from behind him, "Gear up McTVStar!" Tim grinned, "I gotta go Callen glad I could help."

"Thanks Tim, say hi to the others," He said returning the smile for a second at DiNozzo's off screen antics.

Tim nodded and shut down the call.

Callen leant against the table and sighed, finding Deeks was one thing but when he found him, how could he tell him what he had found out about Deeks' mother, a woman he had always idolized in the stories he had told her. With a heavy heart, but also with hope that Deeks would be where McGee had said he was Callen ran down the stairs and off to brief Hetty.


	8. Chapter 8

Jeff Deeks pulled his jeep up outside the mission and looked again at the address given to him by Director Vance. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number. "Leon? Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked. He listened to Vance on the other end, "Thanks Leon, this makes us even." He said and slammed the phone shut.

He got out opened the doors and walked inside.

"I'm looking for Hetty Lange." He said sternly to the large African American man who was sitting at a desk in the bullpen.

Sam looked up confused. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"None of your business boy, now, where is Hetty?" Jeff growled.

Hetty walked up behind the stranger, "And you are?" she asked.

"Jeff Deeks, US Marshal, you Lange?" he asked

"Yes, Mr. Deeks. I am Hetty Lange, Operations Manager," She started.

"Where is my boy, and what the HELL happened?" He demanded.

Callen left Jen on the sofa with Kensi and walked over to the two of them.

"I have a location on Deeks," He said to Hetty. She turned to the man, "This is Mr. Callen, Mr. Deeks' team leader."

"Jeff Deeks, US Marshal, Marty is my boy, well, I fostered him from eleven, he's been mine ever since, I found out about the leak in the WitSec program, it's been dealt with."

"Well let's stop wasting time and go get him." Kensi said coming up behind them both.

* * *

Soon they were on their way Callen and Jeff in Jeff's jeep and Kensi and Sam in the Challenger.

As they pulled up Jeff heard a shuffling noise in the back of the Jeep.

"What the Hell?" he exclaimed as he moved a piece of tarpaulin to see Jen, holding a gun.

"Jen!" Callen swore, "What are you doing here?"

"He's my brother; I'm not leaving him here alone."

"Stay in the car…and keep away from Brandel." Callen said,

Jen gave Callen a look of frustration which he had to bite back a grin, as she looked a lot like her brother.

"You gonna give me any trouble?" Callen asked her and the elder Deeks.

"Nope." Jen replied with a small pout.

They got out of the car, and Kensi and Sam looked at Jen in surprise. "Don't." Was all Callen said and they let it drop.

"Callen, we have a thermal signature, there are four people in the building and two in a container at the back of the yard," Nell said as they got ops back online.

"Thanks Nell and welcome back guys." Callen grinned, feeling better now he knew they had his back.

"We'll take the house first," Sam said, "Clear that and then the yard."

They headed together Sam and Callen taking point and the Elder Deeks and Kensi providing backup.

Clearing the house, they had the four gang members in handcuffs, which hadn't been a hard thing as they were all drunk and passed out as they had walked in the house, "Eric send LAPD for back up to clear this up. We're going to take the yard."

They stepped out of the house and heard a scream "MARTY!"

* * *

Callen's blood ran cold as he looked towards the car and realized that Jen was no longer sitting in the back.

As the others had gone into the house, Jennifer had spotted her father heading into the container with what looked like a bucket. Even though she knew how dangerous it was she had to go, she decided that Marty would do anything to protect her and if she was lucky, Brandel would get distracted by the gunshots she assumed would come from the house and she'd be able to get him out of there. She had assumed that no one had seen her, she kept to the edges of the yard using the broken hulls of burnt out cars as cover, just before she reached the container she felt a hand grab her by the hair and haul her roughly to her feet. "Hello Jenny."

Brandel had left Marty hanging, he had delighted in watching him scream and cry as he had finally broken the boy, but he hadn't stopped there. He had pulled out a whip and started hitting Deeks' with it, "You will keep screaming boy until you have paid your debt to me, you ruined my supply line with Mendez, took my daughter and put me back on the LAPD radar."

With each strike of the whip Deeks had screamed until there was no more left in him. Brandel looked up at the unconscious body of his son hanging like rotting meat and scowled. "Useless," He snarled, he cut Marty down and threw him in a corner.

Brandel turned and left the container and walked across the yard, heading towards a shed in the corner. There was no way he had finished making the boy suffer, he had not completely broken him, he needed to find a way to leave him so broken that no one would want that pathetic excuse of a child.

Walking into the shed he saw exactly what he was looking for, a large plastic bucket and seven large jars of pickling vinegar, a feral smile crept across Brandel's face making him seem even nastier than he was.

On his way back he stopped, he couldn't believe his luck, his little Jennifer, his bargaining chip with Mendez, she was here. Maybe if Marty wouldn't break for him, he would break for her.

He took the bucket into the container and put it down. He gave Deeks a swift kick in the ribs and the boy groaned. "Wake up boy, you're gonna miss all the fun, guess who's come to the party, your little sister." He chuckled and walked out a small door in the back of the container.

He saw the group head into the house and chuckled to himself, those idiot's that Mendez sent with him had been easy to subdue he had set them up in the house with enough vodka and beer that he had known they would be passed out drunk and out of his hair while he worked on the boy. He smiled as he watched the team go into the house, he knew he didn't have long but he had enough time for this.

"Hello, Jenny," He said grabbing the girl by her hair, "Now you keep quiet and I'll take you to your brother." He said dragging her towards the container.

* * *

He walked in and she gasped at the sight of her brother bruised and bleeding in the corner.

He threw her in Marty's direction and she lifted his head up, "Marty!" she said wiping the blood from his face.

"Jen?" Deeks groaned, "No!" he tried lifting himself up as Brandel threw the bucket of liquid on him. Deeks screamed as the vinegar soaked into his cuts.

Deeks screams and tried moving himself further in the corner of the container as far from the pain as he could get.

Brandel lifted his gun and aimed it at the pair of them.

Deeks pushed Jen behind him.

Brandel tusked at him waving the gun in their direction.

"Martin….Martin, move outta the way. She's going to die and you're going to watch," Brandel snarled.

Deeks dragged his battered body to make sure he was between his sister and his father.

"No…" His voice was barely a whimper.

Jennifer's terrified eyes locked onto her brother who shot a lopsided grin back at her, "its okay." He whispered. "I love you Jen,"

Then he turned and launched himself at his father.

"MARTY!"

 


	9. Chapter 9

Marty not thinking about anything but saving his sister, the only person he knew who gave a damn if he lived or died, launched himself at the monster of his nightmares.

He saw and heard the gun go off and grunted as he felt the bullet go through his leg.

As his head hit the floor he felt himself go dizzy, he realized that Brandel must have hit his artery, but this meant Brandel wasn't hurt, and he still needed to stop his father from killing his sister.

Callen and Sam made it to the container first to see a broken and bloodied Marty crawling over to his sister and collapsing protectively over her as Brandel raised his gun again.

Not even thinking both men fired one hitting Brandel in the chest the other right between the eyes as a look of surprise crossed Brandel's face and he fell down dead.

Callen looked over at Deeks and Jen in the corner, Deeks looked over at him. "It's ok Deeks we got him."

The briefest smile crossed his face as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and Deeks passed out.

"Marty!" Jeff Deeks ran in and tried moving his son off the girl he was protecting, she in turn had her arms around him and wasn't letting go.

"Jen, you gotta let him go, I need to check his injuries." Jeff said as Kensi called the paramedics.

Sam stepped over the body of Brandel, "Come on Jen, let's get you out of here." Sam knew he was going to talk to her later about following them from the mission, but right now she didn't need to hear it.

* * *

Jeff on moving Deeks had realized he was bleeding from his femoral artery. He pulled his belt off and made a make-shift tourniquet. "Are the paramedics on their way?" he asked the panic in his voice evident.

Callen nodded. "I've called in the local Leo's to take care of the group in the house and Brandel's body." He told Jeff.

"I don't give a damn about Brandel." Jeff snarled. He tightened his grip on Deeks as he felt his boy shift.

Jen sat outside sobbing uncontrollably as Kensi sat with her. "I didn't mean to, I saw Brandel and realized that Marty had to be here, I was told not to go to the house, I…I thought if I could get close enough and find out where Dad was holding him, I could tell you and you could save him, but he…he found me." She sobbed.

"You should have listened to Callen, but I know you didn't mean to do anything wrong." Kensi said. She looked up as the paramedics arrived and rushed into the container.

"Is….is he gonna die?" Jen asked fearfully.

"Na," Kensi smiled, "Deeks is too stubborn to die." She said and hoped to God she was right.

Jeff insisted on climbing into the ambulance with him as they headed to the hospital.

Callen corralled the others, "We've gotta head to the hospital, Deeks'll need us when he wakes up, and Sam on the way you'd better call Hetty as his next of kin."

"She's already on her way," Eric's voice came over the earwig.

Callen smiled he had forgotten about Eric listening in and knew then that everything had already been arranged and that if Deeks had a chance his odds of survival had just gone up.

* * *

Arriving at the hospital Jeff followed as the paramedics whisked Deeks straight through to surgery and he stood there his clothes covered in blood looking completely lost.

"Mr. Deeks?" Hetty said walking up to the man. "Young Martin is in good hands." She reassured him.

"Forms….don't I need to fill out some forms for him?" Jeff said in a daze.

"Mr. Deeks added me as his next of kin, all the forms are completed, and they have all his information so they were able to operate straight away." Hetty told him.

Jeff sat down with his head in his hands, "He took my name Miss Lange, but I was never allowed to tell him, that I love him like he was my own."

"I'm sure he knows that." Hetty said.

"I don't know, he always was a quiet kid." Jeff said, "I take it you know about his mother?"

Hetty nodded, "I found out this morning, Did Mr. Deeks know that his mother was kidnapped and that he was the result of rape?"

"I never told him, I met with his grandparents on his mother's side once, they were wealthy snobs, they were horrible people…I told them about him, how he was a great kid, he worked hard in school he was kind and loving like his mother he had nothing of his father in him…but they called him such names, they had a lawyer serve me as his guardian never to tell him about them, they cut him off from his inheritance. They wouldn't even contribute to his education, he had to work his way through law school even though he was related to the Johansen's of Beverly Hills."

"I thought her name was Ally Johnson?" Hetty said remembering the file.

"A small error in original reporting that the Johansen family paid the police to keep in there, they told everyone their daughter died of Leukemia, rather than actually look for her." Deeks said his anger palpable.

Hetty had heard of the family and knowing now she could see the family resemblance.

"Until he found Jen, he thought he had no family." Hetty told Jeff, "I am however surprised he didn't call you when he was shot?" she remarked.

Jeff smiled, "He did, I was undercover with a Mexican drug cartel, he refused to allow me to leave to come to him, told me it was a flesh wound I was as mad as Hell when I found out the truth." He admitted.

"Yes he can play down his injuries sometimes." Hetty agreed.

Jeff looked at the small woman, he was glad she was there and realized that she cared as much about his foster son's wellbeing as he did.

* * *

They both looked up as the tired group of Agents and the young woman entered into the waiting room.

"How is he?" Callen asked for the group.

"He's in surgery right now." Jeff told them, he hadn't told any of them that his heart had stopped beating on the way to the hospital.

Jen looked up at the man who was at least two feet taller than her, "Will he be ok?" she asked her voice scared.

"Yeah," he said. "We should meet properly Jeff Deeks, Marty's foster dad," Jeff smiled at her, "I mean, if you're Marty's sister that should make me your foster dad too?" he offered.

Jen smiled, "Really?" She looked hopeful that maybe Deeks' foster dad would accept her. "Marty talks about you a lot." She admitted, "He says that you're what a parent should be like."

Jeff smiled. "That's a great compliment; remind me to tell him when he wakes up."

They looked up as a doctor walked out from behind a set of double doors.

"Family of Martin Deeks?" he called.

They all stood up and walked towards him, "All of you?" he asked surprised.

Hetty smiled, "All of us." She informed him.

"Well, he had a gunshot wound to the leg which nicked his femoral artery, we have repaired it and given him a blood transfusion, he needed four pints, he had multiple cuts and wounds which required stitching and a fractured cheekbone and concussion, he has four broken ribs and most of his body is covered in bruising." He said and waited as the information sunk in.

They all looked shocked at the doctor but waited as he went on, "He is awake and responsive although very sluggish due to the medication he's on. Our main problem is his mental health, I'm not sure exactly what he's been through, but other than answering basic questions he is not engaging with anyone."

Hetty stood up, "I am his next of kin and his boss, I will go in along with Mr. Deeks his foster father and Miss Brandel, his sister." she told the doctor.

He nodded and moved to allow them to pass.

* * *

Deeks sat in the bed, he knew he was in a hospital, he could feel his injuries but he knew from the dullness he was feeling that he was on some pretty strong painkillers.

He didn't want to talk to the doctors or nurses that were fussing around him checking he was ok, did he want a drink? Did he want to use the bathroom?

God couldn't they see what he was…..he was damaged, he was a child of a rape victim, his blood family didn't want him, he wasn't worthy enough to be with them….his father had told him so, he had grown up thinking his mother loved him, now he wasn't so sure. He must have caused her pain every time she looked at him. He had done that to the mother he had idolized. He had made her life painful, if it hadn't been for him she could have got away and gone back to her family. He had taken that away from her by being born.

He had done his job; he had saved the innocent….his sister.

But there was no more reason for him to be, the Marty Deeks he thought he was didn't exist anymore. Knowing what he was now how could he face his team?

His last memory before the blood loss had claimed him had been a doozy. He had seen his foster father looking down at him surrounded by what could have been his grandparents sneering down at the eleven year old boy and his foster father saying, "I don't give a damn about Brandel."

Stifling a sob Marty shifted his position and stared at the wall as he heard the door open.

He didn't care who it was he didn't look, "Go away," he mumbled and turned his back on them hoping they would just leave him alone.

 


	10. Chapter 10

"Marty?" Jeff Deeks said to his foster son as he entered the room, he had hoped his 'son's' face would light up like it usually did when they got together.

Instead Deeks pulled the blankets further up his shoulder as if to hide from his voice.

"Hey, Jell-O, you gonna turn over?" Jen asked.

Marty turned around and looked at Jen his eyes doing a really fast inventory, looking for any injuries. "You ok espresso?" he asked.

"You saved me, I don't have any injuries." Jen said.

Marty shifted himself onto his other side and grabbed her by the arms. "Good, then take the bag and run! I can't stop him if he comes back." He looked at her earnestly, "Please Jen, Don't look for Jeff, he hates us, just start again on your own, If I can I will find you when it's safe."

Jen looked at him sadly. "Marty, Dad's dead, really dead, I'm safe, and you're safe."

Deeks sighed, "no I'm not…I'm never safe, never will be." He let out a sob still totally focused on her and not noticing the other two people in the room. "Take Monty, he'll protect you." He said his eyes starting to close as the drugs forced him to sleep, "Jeff hates us, don't go there Jen." He said again before unconsciousness claimed him.

Jen sank into the chair as Jeff leant against the door looking distraught, "I don't hate him, why would he think that?" he said confused.

"Maybe it's the medication, Mr. Deeks." Hetty offered.

"I hope so." Jeff said. He moved and motioned to Hetty to sit in the chair. She took one chair and Jen slumped in the other.

"Will he be ok; I thought he knew dad was dead?" She looked at Jeff, "He told me you were the reason he wanted to become a cop, when the lawyer thing didn't work out, I don't understand, he told me your name was in his safe book in the bag, he told me if I had to run there were addresses of safe houses in that book but the most important thing I had to do was find you."

Hetty was the first to notice a change in Deeks' breathing pattern, "Why would you think Martin hated you?" she asked. Hoping he would listen.

"I have no idea," Jeff replied, "I idolize that boy, with all he's been through and yet he's never turned out bad, he's always tried his best and helps people who need him. I wish he knew exactly how proud of him I really am, I wish I had been allowed to adopt him, I would have been as proud to be his father as I was the day they let him pick his new name and he picked mine." Jeff said with undisguised pride in his voice.

Marty sniffed back a sob on hearing Jeff's words.

Jeff looked up at his boy in surprise, and then shot Hetty a look as he realized that she had known he was awake.

She smiled back at him in understanding, "I think Ms Brandel, these two need some time together." She said and led the younger woman out gently.

* * *

Deeks turned over still clutching the blankets. "Why?" he asked his voice raspy.

"Why what?" Jeff was confused.

"You said you didn't give a damn about me." Deeks said.

"I never!" Jeff stood up and moved closer to Marty.

"Y...You said, I don't give a damn about Brandel, it's ok…I understand, Dad...He told me…about my mother, I know why you wouldn't care anymore, but I...I need to heal please just leave, don't waste your time here."

Jeff grabbed the chair and moved it closer to the bed and sat down, "Martin Andrew Deeks, Ever since you decided to take my middle name and my surname I have been proud of you, Brandel was wrong. Do you hear me?" he said.

Deeks flinched hearing his father's voice, "No…No please no more." He said throwing his hands over his head.

"Oh God, Marty, I'm sorry." Jeff said and pressed the call button for the nurse. "It's ok Marty," he said rubbing his son's hand while the nurse injected another sedative and Deeks fell asleep.

* * *

Jeff walked out into the waiting room and Jen ran over as she saw the look of devastation on his face, "What's wrong, is it Marty? Oh my God! What's happened?" Jen said panicking.

"He had a bad flashback," Jeff told them slumping into a chair beside Hetty, "He was told Hetty, I kept it from him all these years and now he knows that barstard told him!" Jeff snarled wanting to kill Brandel again.

"Kept what from him?" Kensi said and Callen walked up to her and Sam.

"Guys there are some things about Deeks' past I don't think he would ever want to share. If he ever does he'll seek us out, the point is that Jeff had tried to shield Deeks from the darker aspects of his childhood, things he didn't know about and Brandel told him, That knowledge has hurt him and we have to let him know that anything Brandel says doesn't matter, Deeks' is a member of our team and we have his back," Callen told them.

They all nodded as Hetty turned to them, "Given the circumstances I have asked Nate if he would assist Mr. Deeks in his rehabilitation." She said.

Callen walked over to them both, "Mr. Callen, would you and Ms Blye take Ms. Brandel home,"

"No, Hetty, I need to be here." Jen protested.

Hetty turned and looked kindly at her, "I think Mr. Deeks would be happier not only knowing his sister was well rested but that his dog was being well taken care of as well, it would help in his recovery." She said patting the younger woman on the arm.

Jen stifled a yawn, "But…." She started and Kensi put her arm around her and noticed just how worn out she was.

"Come on let's get you home." She added; as all three of them left the building.

Sam stood and looked at Hetty, "I have to go too, and I promised Michelle I'd take her out to dinner tonight." He said.

"Have a nice meal, Mr. Hanna." Hetty said and watched as Sam walked off.

* * *

Hetty and Jeff were left in the waiting room and while Marty slept on Jeff filled Hetty in on the aspects of Deeks' rescue from his father and the other parts of his childhood the files left out.

Four hours later, it was dark and Deeks woke up again and he was alone.

Mulling over what he had been told Deeks was confused, Brandel had been a liar, so maybe what we was told wasn't true, Jeff had said that he was proud of him, so maybe…he still had blood family out there that would be proud of him.

He lifted himself out of bed and silently got dressed wincing every once in a while. He slowly eased himself out of the hospital room and down the hall.

All he had to do was make it to the mission, go to ops and get Eric to run a check on his mother.

 


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a while since he had been free.

Walking out of the hospital he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. He knew that to be given this amount of control, whatever had happened to Deeks must have been bad.

It was as it had always been his job to protect him. His only thought when he had woken up was to go to ops and get Eric to give him information on his mother.

He knew Deeks hadn't shared him fully with the team; he had used his name once or twice and mistakenly referred to him as his alter ego, rather than his undercover personality. He had listened in silently laughing as Deeks had on an operation told his mark that he hadn't done the things she accused him of and that Max had.

Hetty had been told of the situation when she had offered to hire him, she had assured him, his secret would remain so, and Hetty was good at keeping secrets and had actually met him once. Max could be charming when he wanted to be and on that occasion he was. Deeks had been shot and lying in a hospital bed; to let him recover Max had come out and walked broken and bloodied to save Kensi. Deeks had no knowledge of that and it was only when Hetty was talking to him, she realized he wasn't Deeks. They had talked for hours, Max telling her what he thought she should know of Deeks' childhood and how he had come to be first appearing when Deeks was 10 and his father first, for want of a better word, battered him senseless. It wasn't Deeks who shot his father when he was 11, it was Max. Hetty in turn had expressed her concern for Deeks' well being and how important it was that Max was, where able to keep Deeks safe should he appear on assignment. Max had promised if for any reason he was there and Deeks were compromised he would call Hetty straight away.

But now, right now, Max was mad. He had listened to all that Deeks' had been told and he knew what was happening and how badly Deeks had retreated in on himself at the news of his mother. They had had grandparents that didn't want Marty because of his parentage, the knowledge of that rejection had hurt Deeks and with his physical injuries his mind couldn't take it, so Max stepped in.

* * *

Walking into the mission wearing his jeans and his favorite leather jacket and hoodie combination he climbed the stairs to ops, Eric was busy working as he walked in.

"Hey Eric." He smiled hoping he looked as affable as Deeks usually was.

"Hey man, how you feeling?" Deeks asked.

"Better, I need a name looking up, she's dead but Hetty wants all her family details." Max said.

"And she's asking you because?" Eric said suspiciously.

"It's for my eyes only." Max said snapping because of the pain.

"I had better check with Hetty," Eric said moving to the phone.

Max snapped he didn't have the same patience as Deeks; he pulled his gun on Eric, "Get me the information on Allison Johansson or Allison Johnson, everything you have including information on her parents."

Eric stared at the gun and Deeks in terror, "D…Deeks."

"NOW!" Max shouted.

Eric turned around and started typing, he found all the information he could and with a shaking hand, gave Deeks the flash drive.

"Deeks…I know that you don't mean it…please…Let me call Hetty." Eric pleaded.

Max smiled, "Deeks likes you so I won't hurt you…but I have to do this for him, tell Hetty when I'm done she can have him back, oh and make sure she looks after Jen," he said and walked out.

The second he left Eric picked up the phone.

* * *

Hetty opened her phone as she saw Eric's number flash up.

"Mr. Beale, is everything alright?" she asked, She went pale as the call continued, "We will be right there." She said and hung up.

Jeff Deeks looked over at the smaller woman, he had not yet seen anything shake her and with all that had happened since he had met her, this was unsettling.

"Ms Lange?" he asked.

"It seems that Mr. Deeks has elected to leave of his own accord and has just been by to visit Mr. Beale, we need to go." She said. Jeff nodded and left with her.

The drive from the hospital to the mission took less than ten minutes although Jeff swore it was due to the way the smaller woman pushed the jaguar rather than the distance between the buildings.

Being a federal Marshal Jeff Deeks thought he'd seen everything, but driving with this woman had scared him more than any case he'd ever worked on. Glad to arrive he practically ran into the building.

Hetty headed straight upstairs with Jeff Deeks on her heels.

Eric was sitting in his chair shaking as Nell brought him a cup of tea, "Although I do not allow liquids in ops, I believe in this instance, you may be excused," She told Eric who had froze on seeing her enter.

"Thanks Hetty," Eric said his hands shaking as he drank the beverage.

"Miss Jones, can you run the footage of Mr. Deeks' visit earlier?" she asked, they stepped back as Nell cued it up and Hetty caught her breath.

"Max…!" she said.

Deeks looked over at her, "You know about Max?" he asked.

Hetty nodded, "Mr. Beale, did you give Mr. Deeks the information he asked for?" she asked.

Eric nodded and pulled up the information that Deeks asked for.

"Mr. Beale contact LAPD, get them to put a guard on the Johansson's if they spot detective Deeks they need to call us immediately" she said, "Miss Jones call Mr. Callen and Mr., Hanna send them to that address, we will meet them there."

Nell looked confused "You're going...I mean ok, you're going, what about Kensi?" she asked.

"She need to stay where she is, she is better off keeping an eye on Miss Brandel. Also Inform Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna that if they see Mr. Deeks they are not to engage him until I or Mr. Deeks Senior are there."

Nell nodded and relayed the message.

* * *

The drive to Beverly Hills took longer than they expected due to traffic, but the police already had a car parked down the road from the Johansson's home.

There had as yet been no sign of Deeks and Hetty was getting worried, "Mr. Callen, have you seen him yet?"

Callen at the end of the driveway was about to say no when Deeks turned the corner, "He's here." He said.

Callen and Sam got out of the car, "Deeks?" Callen called hoping to get his friends attention.

Max stopped looking at Callen and Sam; he wiped the blood of his hand and down his jeans.

"I'm sorry Callen, Deeks isn't in right now and I have business to attend too." He smiled and in the streetlight Callen could see drops of blood on his face.

"Deeks are you hurt?" he asked.

Max smiled, "Deeks will be fine, now I have things to do," Max lifted the gun at the pair of them.

"MAX!" Jeff's voice cut across the street as Hetty and Jeff walked towards him.

"D…Dad?" Max replied.

"Marty doesn't need this, this won't help him." Jeff said ignoring the confused looks on Callen and Sam's faces.

Max looked distraught, "They left him, they left his mother…they denied him because he wasn't good enough for them, they hurt him!" max snarled.

"Max, whose blood is that?" Hetty asked carefully, "You promised you wouldn't hurt anyone while Deeks was working for me."

Callen and Sam stood behind Hetty with their guns drawn, protecting her but not wanting to hurt their colleague.

"Jen is safe, Marty will feel better about that, now I need to see them."

"How is Jen safe?" she asked again.

Max laughed, it was cold and calculating and not like Deeks' laugh at all. "Manny has gone to join our father…Jen is safe…Don't worry Hetty I kept my promise, I never used Marty's gun, but he will be pissed when he sees his hands."

"You beat him to death?" Sam asked stunned.

"Deeks is a surfer, he hated fighting, but that case, the one where I got to come out and fight you, the mixed martial arts were all me Sam," he laughed.

"Max you need to let us have Deeks back, he needs to heal you are hurting him." Hetty said flatly.

"I PROTECT HIM!" Max roared. "I KEEP HIM SAFE….I keep him safe, from Brandel, from you, from Sam and his taunts. HE NEEDS ME!"

"Yes he does," Hetty replied, "We need you too, you saved Kensi and I thank you for that, but right now, Deeks need to heal."

Max looked from Jeff to Hetty, "If I go….you'll deal with them?" he asked looking towards the house.

"We will son," Jeff said, "Come here." He held his arms out as Max walked towards him.

Within moments Max had gone and Deeks collapsed in Jeff's arms, "Dad...Where am I?" he asked

"Shh son, there's an ambulance on the way. Rest now." Jeff laid his son's head in his lap as the group of them listened to the ambulance in the distance getting closer.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Deeks lay back in the hospital room sedated as his injuries were re-bandaged and cleaned as Callen, Sam, Jeff and Hetty stood outside.

"Does one of you two want to tell us what the HELL that was?" Sam growled.

Jeff nodded and Hetty looked deflated as they glanced over at Deeks lying in the bed.

"He'll be out a few hours if you want to take a break." The nurse said as she adjusted his IV.

Hetty nodded and motioned for the others to follow.

Sitting in the cafeteria Hetty took a sip of her tea, grimaced at the paper she could taste and started talking.

"You have I take it heard Mr. Deeks speak of Max Gentry." She started.

"His undercover alias, the one he doesn't like using?" Callen asked, "Yeah why?"

"That was Max Gentry," Hetty said.

"Why would Deeks use an undercover persona to escape from hospital and why threaten Eric?" Sam asked realizing his gut was right there was a reason he shouldn't trust Deeks.

"It isn't an undercover alias." Jeff Deeks said.

The two men looked at him interested. "You know I take it that Gordon Brandel was shot when Deeks was 11, it was Max that shot him…maybe I'm jumping ahead of myself. Max first appeared when Deeks was small, from the reports we could gather Deeks would turn up at school insist on being called Max all day and would be completely different to the Martin Brandel the teachers were teaching, it was noticed that those days coincided with the days the school would notice new bruising on the boy. Max was tougher than Marty and would always be rougher around people, where Marty was a shy kid who likes to help. It was noted in his record, but Brandel never took him to get tested." Jeff took a breath and a sip of his coffee and continued, "When Brandel was shot it wasn't Marty the police found, it was Max, he was standing over his mother, holding a gun snarling obscenities and protecting his mother's corpse. Brandel had disappeared by then but neighbors attested to the fact that Marty hadn't shot his mother. He was processed as Max as that was the only name he'd use. A doctor saw him and gave him a sedative, but instead of going to sleep his personality changed and Martin Brandel came out, terrified and calling for his mother."

Hetty held her breath, this she hadn't heard before.

"I was due to pick up this Max Gentry talk to him as we couldn't find any records of him when the doctor told us his 'new name'. Needless to say we ran it and Brandel's rap sheet came up, little Marty was inconsolable as we had to tell him his mom died, but we were looking for his family."

"Did you find anyone…apart from Brandel?" Callen asked.

"We found his mother in the system, she was 25 when she died, she had been fourteen when Marty was born, her name was Allison Johansson and she had been kidnapped from her family when she was twelve, it was a cold case and we were surprised she had lived that long. We contacted her parents to tell them we had found their daughter but she had died and to tell them about her son." Deeks clenched his fists and took another deep breath.

"Why didn't they take him in?" Sam asked.

Deeks thought back to that night.

* * *

Little Marty Brandel was sitting on a bench in the Reseda county sheriff's office wrapped in an officers jacket holding a mug of hot chocolate staring terrified at the wall. One moment he had been with his mother having his weekly hour's visit his father allowed and then he was there, he had been told his mother had been killed in a drive by shooting and his father was missing, he was covered in blood and bruising. For him coming too and finding missing time and himself covered in new and painful bruises was not an unusual occurrence but being somewhere other than his room or the basement was. He couldn't figure out how his mom was outside when she was shot, she never went outside her room?

He listened to the policemen talking, one came up to him, "Are you hungry Max?" he asked.

Marty shook his head, "No sir, also…Sir, my name is Martin…Martin Brandel." He said confused.

The officer looked at him, "Are you sure son, my sheet says Max Gentry."

Little Marty flinched, "I'm not allowed to talk about him sir." He said, "My daddy say's I'll get a whopping if I do." He finished off softly.

"Hey Deeks!" the officer called cross the floor and a young federal Marshall stood up, "Yeah Jackson?"

"Kid says' his name is Martin Brandel?" he called.

The other man paled and walked over to the kid, "What's your daddy's name son?" he asked.

"Sir." Little Marty replied.

Jeff crouched down so he was at eye level with the scared little boy. "Can you tell me what your momma's name is?"

Marty flinched, "I call her momma, when Daddy isn't listening…he calls her….Whore and bitch." He said not liking using those names for her, "They make momma cry."

Jeff's heart broke listening to this kid.

Marty wiped his nose with his sleeve and looked up at him, "Momma said when God takes her a policeman will come looking and I had to tell you her full name then and I'd be safe…Has momma gone with God?" he asked,

Deeks nodded unable to say anything.

"My momma made me practice her name…it was Allison Johnson...No it's Yo hands sen?" he said saying it phonetically. "My Daddy's name is Mr. Gordon Brandel. International Arms dealer ex..straw..din..air" He said repeating what he had heard.

"Your dad sells guns?"

"Sure!" Marty smiled, "I like guns; He's proud of me when I stands still and he shoots at me….and…..and look!" Marty grabbed the gun from Jeff's holster, Jackson went to draw his gun but Jeff waved him away and watched in awe as this eleven year old kid who couldn't say his words properly or write his name stripped, cleaned and rebuilt his smith and Wesson in less than 45 seconds.

"I'm good at that, if I do it in less than a minute daddy don't rail on me." Marty smiled his bruised lip splitting and some blood ran down the smiling face.

Jeff carefully took his gun back from the boy and gave him a candy bar. Marty looked at it strangely. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's candy; it's what good little boys get." Jeff said.

"Oh." Marty's face fell and he put the bar down.

"Don't you want it?" Jeff asked.

"Don't you wanna shoot at me first?" Marty asked confused.

"No kid, no one is gonna do that again." Deeks promised the boy. He handed Marty the bar and watched as for the first time the kid ate chocolate.

Marty sat swinging his legs on the bench as he ate his chocolate bar watching everything that was going on but not looking like he was.

* * *

Jackson walked up to Deeks.

"I just put the information into the computer…look what came back," he held a ream of computer paper with lines of information on it.

Jeff took it and read. "So his mother is the Johansson kid that disappeared thirteen years ago…she must have been fourteen when she had him…that sick son of a bitch," He snarled angry for the two children whose lives Brandel had destroyed.

"What ya gonna do Jeff?" Jackson asked looking at the boy.

"Send a car for the grandparents; maybe if they see him, they'll take him in." Jeff said.

An hour later Marty had succumbed to the medication the doctor had given him and was asleep on the bench as two wealthy people came in with a female police officer.

"Agent Deeks." Jeff said "Federal Marshal."

"Carl Johansson and Frida Johansson." They introduced themselves, Carl holding on to his wife being a support for her. "The officer asked us to come in, you need us to identify her b….body." he said.

Deeks nodded, "Also there is a small complication." He started.

"Our child has been missing for thirteen years, you have told us she is dead, what on earth else could there be!" Carl exclaimed.

Deeks nodded to the child on the bench his blond hair much like his grandparents lay over one eye, "She had a son." He said simply.

They looked at the boy, "How old is he?" Frida breathed,

"He's eleven his name is…"

"I don't need to know that thing's name." Frida spat.

"He's your grandson?" Deeks said,

"Send him back to his rapist father." She said "I won't take that in….I do hope officer, you were not expecting us to take that….that thing." She said

"He's just a child!" Deeks said,

"No our baby was pure, that thing and his father corrupted her….I won't have it in our house…Carl call our lawyer, make sure we are protected from any future claim from it."

Marty stirred on the bench, "Momma?" he said sleepily and rubbed his eyes, he let out a sob when he realized where he was and looked over at the couple talking to the nice policeman. They looked angry and the woman grabbed the man, both looked at him angry and stormed away.

* * *

Marty cried silently, crying aloud got him hit. He wiped his eyes and walked over to Deeks.

"I'm sorry sir…I made those people mad?" he asked tensing himself for the beating he was expecting.

Jeff crouched down and pulled the boy into a hug and quickly let go as he stiffened in fear.

"You did nothing wrong, not at all. They are just very mean people." Jeff said. "Now are you tired?" he asked having made a decision there and then.

Marty rubbed his eyes and nodded.

"Right, you young man, are going to come home with me, now, because we can't find your daddy and you know he is a bad man, we have to put you into a special program called Witness protection, so you can have a new name. Until we find one for you I'm gonna let you use mine, so Martin…"

"Marty….momma calls me Marty." He said quietly.

"Ok," Jeff smiled, "So Marty Deeks, I think it's time we went home and you got some sleep."

 


	13. Chapter 13

Marty had been with Jeff for a year when he next saw Brandel again.

Marty had enrolled in the local school and had started to make a few friends although he was still wary of Deeks. Deeks was kind to him, they had moved a few miles away, not too far but far enough that Marty had to start a new school and be dropped off by car every morning.

"See you tonight Marty." Jeff said with a smile.

Marty grinned back, "I have baseball tryouts but I'll be home by five. I can catch the bus if you want." He offered.

Jeff thought about it, there had been no contact with Brandel and despite the fact that Deeks wanted to adopt the boy every time Marty was asked he said no. but he was adamant that he didn't want to be placed with anyone else either. So giving him a little bit of leeway and letting him know that Deeks trusted Marty might be just the thing the boy needed.

"Pleeeeeaaaseeeee!" Marty drawled out looking innocent. "Barry's gonna ride the bus with me…I won't be alone…honest!" he begged.

Jeff laughed, it was the first time twelve year old Marty had ever asked for anything, and his best friend was Barry Jones and eleven year old boy in the same class. They had become as thick as thieves and lived three doors down from each other. As far as Barry knew Marty was Jeff Deeks' foster son, the only thing Marty wouldn't do was call him dad.

"Ok son," Jeff said without thinking and grimaced internally as Marty flinched. I will expect you home at five."

Marty ran into school carrying his baseball bat and waving to Barry who was sitting on the wall outside the school.

By eleven o'clock that night Jeff had a house full of police and Barry Jones' parents sitting terrified for their son on his couch, neither boy had returned home.

Marty and Barry laughing and talking about the awesome hit Marty had done during practice had walked up to the bus stop and were talking animatedly to each other when Marty stopped and went white.

"D…Dad…." He stammered.

Barry turned around smiling, "Mr. Deeks?" he called.

The large man backhanded the small boy and threw him in a van "No…Dad…NO! please NO!" Marty begged trying to pull Brandel off of the small boy.

"In…NOW!" Brandel snarled and shaking Marty followed him in the car he looked at the unconscious boy in the backseat and cried.

* * *

Four days later a swat team lead raided Brandel's old home and found a boy in the basement clutching the dead body of his friend.

Jeff was outside as the police walked out.

"Deeks, you need to come here." Jackson yelled. Ducking under the tape Jeff ran for the house.

"MARTY!" Jeff yelled.

"He ain't here, and you ain't getting him." A small voice called out defiantly. Marty stood holding Barry's body and a gun; There was a blood trail that led away from the scene and Marty had a bloody bandage over his hand.

"Marty, it's me Deeks…" Deeks said looking at the boy…he suddenly realized what was different. "Max?"

Max grinned, "Marty's too hurt to come out now, he's sorry about his friend though, Father got away and he feels guilty for that and for Barry dying."

"Max we need to go you can stay as long as you're needed, will you come home with me?" Deeks asked.

Max blinked, he was used to fighting for Marty and protecting him, everyone told him to go, no one had asked him to protect Marty before…Maybe this Deeks was good…a real good guy?

Max handed Deeks the gun. "sure." He sat back and let the paramedics take Barry away.

* * *

For months afterward Max stayed, He had settled into being with Deeks explored every facet of his life and decided he was good for Marty and told Deeks so, Max went with Deeks to Marty's therapy appointments and the doctors said Max would fade again when Marty felt safe enough to come out. Deeks learnt all about a split personality and how it manifested. Then in a session Deeks said something that ensured that as long as he was present both Max and Marty would trust him.

"I have two sons; they are just in the same body." That was it…all he had said and Max looked stunned at the man.

"Y…you think I'm your son?" Max asked surprised.

"Of course you are son." Deeks said and held his arms out.

Max ran to Deeks and hugged him, "C...Can I call you …D...Dad…I know Marty won't…but can I?" he asked the bravado slipping both boys starting to merge.

"Sure," Deeks said.

"Thanks…Dad." Max for the first time in his life was comforted by an adult.

Max and Deeks moved to another neighborhood and it was near Christmas when Max walked downstairs. "Dad…" he called and Deeks walked out of the garage, "You ok son."

"Erm…No…" Max said with tears in his eyes, "M…Marty's coming back, I can feel him…I don't wanna go Dad…"

Jeff held Max as he sobbed, "I love you son, I'll always love you its safe don't worry." He said

As he held Max…the boy stiffened and Marty pulled away from the contact.

"Deeks?" Marty asked, "Where are we, what happened?"

"Its ok son…I mean Marty, you're back now, I need to call your therapist." He said, he was pleased to have Marty back but he would miss Max. The therapist put Marty on some medication to regulate his moods and keep Max at bay, the only thing was that neither Max, because he didn't know and Marty because he couldn't remember could tell the authorities how Barry died. They never went back to the school or that neighborhood again.

* * *

Jeff finished telling his tale as Callen Hetty and Sam listened enthralled.

"How did we not know about this?" Callen asked.

"I knew, Mr. Deeks still takes his medication, Max comes out occasionally but, mostly he stays hidden, Max shot the men who tried to kill Kensi after Marty was shot, Max was the one who found Ray during the LA Kings case." She told them. "I have spoken to Max, that time in the hospital after Mr. Deeks was shot." She admitted.

"Hetty, this is why I didn't trust him, I knew something was off about him!" Sam snapped and stood up, "He's supposed to have our backs, but he can't if half of him isn't him!"

Hetty looked at him reproachfully. "I will have you know both Max and Mr. Deeks went through FLETC, Director Vance knew about this and was ok as long as Max behaved…Yes Max is a loose cannon, but he very rarely surfaces and he is as aware of procedure as Mr. Deeks." Hetty told both men, "Mr. Hanna when Mr. Deeks is released I expect you to treat him in the same manner….no better than you have of late." She admonished him.

"Ma'am…Sirs…..Sorry to interrupt but Mr. Deeks is awake." The nurse said.

"Thank you," Jeff replied and they walked to the room together.

They opened the door and a tired looking Deeks sat up and looked at them all.

"Jeff?" Deeks said confused.

"Marty?" Jeff said checking and Marty's face fell.

"Oh God…What did he do?" Deeks asked.

Jeff looked up not realizing he couldn't see the others due to the curtain, "Brandel is dead…" He said so he knew.

Deeks looked stricken… "Jeff…did he…did Max hurt anyone? Did Max do it?" He started hyperventilating.

Callen came into view as Deeks went into full blown panic… "Jeff what did he do?" Deeks was visibly shaking by now.

"Max took you for a walk, we think he dealt with Mendez, but we can't find him to be sure, apart from scaring Eric into giving him information nothing else."

"M….Max went to OPS…." Deeks whispered. "Hetty…oh God am I fired…"His eyes grew wide "You know…you know about him don't you?" he said and stopped as Sam pulled the curtain back.

Sam moved forward as Deeks automatically moved back. "It's ok Deeks, I kinda like Max he's got balls."

Deeks looked in the drawer by his bed for his meds grabbed two and dry swallowed… "Max stays gone." He insisted.

"Either way Mr. Deeks you have not lost your job, your sister is safe and after you have your mandatory psych evaluation, you may return to work. Director Vance will see you about Mendez and we will make a report together on that."

"What clear my alter ego of being a cold blooded killer?" Deeks snapped and winced as a small voice in the back of his head yelled "HEY!"

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty said and stopped as Callen and Sam sniggered and both Deeks men turned to her. Hetty sighed.

"Marty, Only the four of us know about Max and it will stay that way. Your sister is safe now and I suggest you use this time to catch up with Mr. Deeks here." She pointed to the other man, "And rest and heal, Mr. Deeks, your job is safe and the team have your back."

Marty closed his eyes and lay back, "Here that…finally your safe!" the voice in his head laughed.

Deeks turned his back on the others and fell asleep. Just as he dozed off and the others left Callen turned back.

"Shut up Max," Deeks yawned and then let out a snore.

Callen smiled, Deeks was back…a bit crazier maybe, but the team was safe.

He switched off the light closed the door and left.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story but the sequel Requiem for the boy should get posted tomorrow.


End file.
